Subgrade template



May 31, 1927.

A. N. WALSTAD UBGRADE TEMPLATE Filed Aug. 20.1925

Patented ay 31, 1927,

noLrn n. WALSTAD, or acoma, WASHINGTON.

SUBGRADE TEMPLATE.

Application filed August 20, 1925. 7 Serial No. 51,521. I

.This invention relates to tools for use in grading-roads and especially to the template to which the subgrade is to be brought, and has for its objects to provide a strong and substantial tool adapted to be drawn over the roughly finished subgrade to bring the shape of the subgrade to the proper form and elevation, as required by specifications to which the road is being built, and in thus being drawn over the ground itwill smooth the said subgrade, taking off its high spots and filling its depressions and thus materially aid in speeding the work of preparing the said subgrade surface. Other objects are to provide such a tool which is adjustable for roads of various widths; or for various thicknesses of paving; or for various heights of crown; or for various depths of shoulder. Another object is to provide such a tool which, with suitable accessories, can also be used in forming the subgrade of a curved road wherein the width, the crown, and the superelevation or banking may be changed from point to point in accordance with the specifications and without changing the template from point to point. Another object is to provide a template which may be used in widening a half-width road. to a fullwidth roach Another object is to provide a simple, strong and adaptable tool which is practical for use in substantially all theconclitions'met with in constructing the subgrade of a road.

*I attain these and other objects by the devices and arrangementsillustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- "Fig.1 is a front eleva-tion of my device the particular of the finished pavement at all points in the cross-section of theroad, except along the edges thereof where the said distanceis increasedinorder to give thepavement a greater thickness along its edges; this edge portion is called the shoulder-of the pavin Also it is customary to require that the paving, and therefore itsfoundation, or subgradahe at a slightly higher elevation along the centerot' the roadway, thereby giving acrown to both the roadway and its .subgrade. This latter requirement is, however, usually modified when the roadwaycurves; for in-.

s nets, .in some cases, it maybe specified70.

curve, 'or in long curves tofa point about 0 two-hundred feet from the beginning of said widening; in some'cases said widening being made on the inside of the curve While in; others it is required to be on the outside thereof. Also, on all curved roadways it is usual to bank't'he roadway by giving a su plerelevation' to its outer, edge, said superelevation starting at "said point'about. fifty feet before the curve is reached. Also, when a half-widthlof the roadway has been-built, p,

it is ,usually required that tie or reenforcing rods be leftextending from the completed" side of the road :whereby the remaining halfwidth may be tied thereto 'wheniit' is built.

Also, it is quite customary to widen 7 Therefore, in view of these practical. eondi- 5 tions in road building, in order for a subgrade templateto be ofpractical utility and I to make it a permanent tool in the equips" mentof a road contractor, it is necessary,

in use on a full-width straight roadway; Fig. 2 is a similar View showing its use for widening ahalf-width roadway to a fullwidth roadway; Fig. 3 is a similar viewas arranged for making the inner half of acurved and banked roadway; Figs. 4, 5 and '6 are front elevation, cross-section, and

plan, respectively, of one end of said im proved'tool; Figs. 7 and 8 are a cross-sec tion andfront elevation, respectively,' of the central portion of suche tool, showing the adjustable crown piece. J p J Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several'yiewsr In modern-highwaybuilding it is customary to specify that-the soil 1 beneath the 55 paving material b e-first brought to a required 7 for-m? at a certain distancebelow the level 4 various widths of. road; second, adjustable to. various degrees of crowns; third, its; shoulder portion'mustbe removable and adjustable to permit itsreplacement' or adjust-1 r or width; fourth, it must be possible to de v mount a half of its length and to substitute. therefor a special "shoe and fitting to permit its use in spite of the "extending tierods; fifth, the crown attachment must be 'detach- 119 able from the main portion of the template in orderthata special straightedgemay be first, that it be extensible to be applicable to 9 J ment to form shoulders of differentdepth 1 substituted, said straight edge being used for the merging of the crowned road with the flat-banked road, and a special'shoe. be ing attached to SttlCl straight edge, said shoe 7 being adapted to take care of the Variations prises two complementary len ths of angleiron 1, having tlielryertical faces 2 downward and'in front, and the other face 3 horizontal and ,on top (Fig. 5). Each angle-iron l is about eight-feeteight-inches long for a template for use on eighteen to twenty foot highways. The outer end of the angle-iron 1 is provided with a removable and adjustable shoulder plate at and with a bearing shoe, as hereinafter described. The shoulder plated is trapezoidal in shape and has its inclined edge extending below the edge of the vertical face 2 of the angle iron l to which it is attached, the distance said edge extendsbelow said gage edge of the angleiron. 1 being'determined by the ad ustment of the securing bolts 5 .by which it is attached to the face 2, in accordance with the specifications of the road being built. This adjustment may bemade by passing the bolts 5 through slots in the face 2. edge of the angle-iron l and of said shoulder plate t .is normally about one-and-one-half inches from thegrade ribbon .6 of'the road bed, to allow for the stakesQholding the said A bracket 7 1s segrade ribbon .6 in place.

'curedto. the front side of the face 2 of the angle-iron 1, "said bracket forming a horizontal extension of the upper face 3 of the said angle-iron. A carrier shoe 8 is secured to the upper face 3 andto the said bracket 7, bymeans of bolts 9 and is adjustable relatively to said parts by the insertion of more or fewer separators or washers 10 on "the. said bolts 9 between, the shoe 8 and the top surface of the part3. or bracket 7. shoe. 8 eXtendsout horizontally from the end of the angle-iron l to ri'de'on the grade ribbon 6 of the roadway, said shoe extending laterally on each "side of the'axis of the angle-iron,'but a greater. amount towards the.

front than towards the 'i'ear thereof (Fig.

6) Thes hoe8 isco'nstructed ofstiif and strong material and may-be s'ultably re.- enforced to attain this end,

In order to ,gui le'ixthe' operation. of the 1 template Iprovide' a pairff'of control handles at each end. Theseliandles l-l-"are sim lar to plow handles and are "pivoted at their The outer The lower ends to a lug 12 on the upper side of the part f the angle iron, and their outer ends are supported in adjustable elevation byineanswof the two standards 13. The

standards 13 are pivoted at their lower ends to the upper side of the said shoe 8 and each is fastened to one of said handles 11 by means of a removable bolt. A plurality of holes are provided in the standards 11 wherebythehandles may be secured at different heights to suit the conditions-of the work (Fig. 41-). A diagonal brace 14 connccts the two standardslS. A'horizontal bar 15 connects the two handles 11 tobrace them apart.

. V The template is moved along theground by means of cables 16 (Fig. 6) attachedto the loop fittings 17 secured to the front face 9. of the angle iron 1. These loop fittings.

may be shifted to'any of several positions, in accordance with the work to be done'and the form of the template in use, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. y

As above stated the angle-iron 1 extends less than one-half the width of'the narrowest roadway on which it is to be used. When the roadway is full-width and straight (Fig. 1) the template comprises two complete angle-irons with their end attachments as above described, joined together by made'with its two portions permanently set at a definite angle, Vertically, or it may be adjustable as shown in thedrawings;(Figs. 1, 7 and In either case it is of consider able length and each end is providedwith a plurality of sets of bolt holes 18 (Fig. 8) arranged so that the angle-irons 1 may be attached thereto at any of several'positions, thus controlling the distance between the shoes 8 to agree with the particular width of the roadway'to be built.- The center, or

crown piece, therefore comprises twojL- shaped sections 19 and 20, each secured to one of the two. iangle-irons'l by means ofbolts passing thro'ughboth faces 2 :and 3 '95 a central 'crownpiece, This piece may be thereof and through the holes 18 in the said parts 19 andQO. The two parts 19 and20 may be hinged together by means of the horizontal pintle 21"(Fig. 7),in the usual way, and may beset at" 'a'ny angle to eachother and held thereat by clamping the parts together by'the bolts22 which pass through holes and slots 23 therein, or, by any other suitable means. Thus the crown may bemade to. conform to various specifications,

without having to' nake a new (template, or to provide a number ofs'aidi central pieces. I

I l f, however, the roadway is not straightthe said crown piece is removed from the angle-1ron1 and a straightan'gle-iron union 24 (Fig. 3) s provided, iomingsaid angleiron 1 with another angle-iron to which special end shoe 25 is fastened; This end til way required by the specifications for a curved road. This straight template is usedfroma point some distance away from the point of beginning of the curve, instead of the above-described crowned template, by placing certain supplementary blocks 26 011 top of the grade ribbon 6 (Fig. 3). At the I point where this straight template is started, the block 26 is thickest and tapers therefrom thinner and thinner. Corre spending blocks 26 are used on the two sides of theroad and complementary templates are used, but only one set of blocks and one template is in use at a time. 'The use of these straight templates and the blocks 26 therefore gradually washes out the crown as the curve is approached. 'Also, at this same place the straight template is used, the superelevation of the outer side ribbon'6 begins and continues at an increasing rate reaching a maximum at a point say fifty feet after the curve has been reached. Also, the width of the roadway begins to increase at the same point where this straight template is used and continues to increase reaching a maximum about one-hundred-and-fifty feet after the curve has been-reached. As the road widens the ribbon 6 rides further and further outon the special shoe 25.

When a half-width of roadway has been built first and, subsequently, the roadway is to be made full width, the single length of angle-iron 1 is used with a special fitting 27 on the end thereof adjacent to the completed roadway. It is usually required, when this condition exists, to leave certain tie bars 28 extending out from the edge of the completed half-width roadway 29, and I therefore provide the said fitting 27 with a slot 30 adapted to permit it to pass the said bars 28. The fitting 27 is provided with a shoe 8, similar to that already described. Thus it will be seen thatI haveprovided a tool which, with its several accessories, may be used me great variety of conditions found in road building,permitting changes in its design, as to its crown and its shoulders, its width, and its specified variations in width andcrown on its curves. Throughout all these conditions the same parts are used as to the respective portions of the road being made,'the only difference being, in the case of the curved road, that the half road is gaged at one time; and with one template while the other half of the road is gaged with the other complementary part of the template at a subsequent time, and that,

therefore the half of the template not in use asa template, does not come in contact;

with the subgrade and varies somewhat in form of its shoe, over the standard form of shoe, and is not'provided with a shoulder plate. Also, it will be seen that changes in the thickness of the paving may behad by adjusting the connections between the shoe, which engages and rides on the grade ribhon, andthe main angle-iron of the template, thus raising or lowering the template and forming the subgrade at a higher orflower relative elevation.

Having, therefore, described my invention what l claim is 1. A subgrade template comprising a main piece; a detachable shoulder-forming plate. attached to the outer end thereof; a grade-ribbon gage shoe mounted on the said end, above said shoulder plate,.and riding on one grade ribbon of the roadway; and a iat extension mounted on theinner end of said main piece and adapted to slidelongitudinally and laterally ion the other grade ribbon ofthe roadway, thereby permitting the second grade ribbon to vary in distance from the first grade ribbon, whereby the template is guided along. the roadway and whereby its form is controlled to form the desired incline of the subgrade from the center to the edge on straight or curved road' ways or constant or varying widths.

2. A subgrade template as set forth in claim 1, wherein said main piece comprises an angle-iron, positioned with one edge engaging the subgrade; and wherein said center guiding means-comprises, in part, another angle-iron secured within the angle of said main piece and continuing the line of its lower edge.

3. A subgrade template as .set forth in claim 1, wherein said center guiding means,

mounted on the inner end of said main piece,

i. A "subgrade template as set forth in claim 1., wherein said center guid ng means,

mounted on the inner end of said main piece,

is adjustable in form whereby the incline or crown of the subgrade may be 'altered,

A subgrade: template as set forth in claim-l; together with means for attaching hauling cables to t-heinain piece whereby the template is slidf'on the grade ribbons;

and with adjustable guide handles mounted on the outer end of the'main its motion may be controlled.

6. A subgrade'template comprising apair of ma1n pieces, pos tioned on opposite sides piece, wherebyv or of the center of the template andcomprising themajor portion thereof; a pair of grade ribbon gage shoes, mounted on the outer ends of said main pieces andeaich adapted toride on the respective grade ribbons to guide the template along the roadway; a central crown g member composed of two overlapping piecesf each secured to the inner ends of the cor-f1 responding main pieces, and hinged together -01? main pieces, positioned on opposite sides at their upper edges; and clamping means positioned near their lower edges and adapted to hold said pieces together in adjusted relation, whereby the incline of said main pieces and the. crown of the roadway is adjustably determined.

7. A subgrade tem late eomorisin a Jair of the center of the template and comprising the major portion thereof; a pair of grades ribbon shoes, mounted on the outer ends ofsaid' main pieces and each adapted to I ride on the respective grade ribbon to guide the template along the roadway; and central crown piece, secured atits two ends to the inner ends of said main, 'y tne ces, whereby the incline of said main pieces and the crown of the roadway is determined.

8. A subgraolev template as set forth in claim 7, wherein said main pieces and crow Y the center, and the main pieces are eachprovided with :1 single set of cori'es 3ondi11g bolt holes; together with bolts passing' through the holes inmain pieces and the crown piece to secure the parts together in any one ot 'a plurality of positions whereby, the same.

template may-be used for riouswidths AnoLPH N; w stsTAD}.v

roadways of va- 

